Maschine only works when connected to a computer. You can however use Maschine perfectly fine without ever looking at the computer screen, both with the older Mk2 model as with the new Mk3.
The only time you have to use the computer is when you want to name a project for saving.
I was under the impression the G2 had a limited amount of RAM and would max out. The Reaktor hardware would certainly have to be limited, but that doesnāt negate the usefulness of having an entire .ens packed away in a convenient module. And I imagine the DSP would be tailor-made for massive ensembles and be much more powerful than oneās average computer.
Yes, a great module, but one is still tethered to the computer.
Thank you. Yes I do. I use it together with a NI Komplete Audio 6 (and sometimes an Ipad) as aggregate device on mac. Works without any issues. Very simple to set up
Awesome! Always nice to see Euro Reakt in videos. I started porting some of them over to VCV Rack.
One āstandaloneā hardware alternative is the Axoloti (http://www.axoloti.com/). You still need a computer to program the patches, but you can upload them to the Axolotiās RAM or MicroSD card for portable, computer-free use. The AxoControl (https://www.thonk.co.uk/shop/mtm-axocontrol-pcb/) is a DIY control surface that attaches to the top of the Axoloti. The combined system is what caused me to sell my Nord Micro Modular. Also, it powers off of USB, so you can use it on an airplane with a portable phone battery. My main complaint is that the patching interface is pretty ugly and most of the community modules have pretty sparse documentation outside of the forums. Iāve been pointing my students to VCV Rack instead. However, if you want hardware with knobs, this is the current way to go.
The Organelle is also excellent, but pricier. It has a keyboard and hardware controls built-in, so it doesnāt need a DIY solution like the Axoloti. @shreeswiftyās contributions (https://patchstorage.com/author/shreeswifty/) have made it a serious ecosystem. Heās built accurate emulations of popular Eurorack oscillators and guitar pedal effects. PureData requires a lot more knowledge and effort. My other complaint is that the Organelle needs a wall wart, so it ends up being less portable.
Within Eurorack, I really enjoy the Orthogonal Devices ER-301 (http://www.orthogonaldevices.com/er-301). Itās not a ā1.0ā release yet, but itās already great. I sold off most of my Euro effects because of this. I have it permanently connected to my output, as it has a convenient built-in recorder that can record up to six tracks simultaneously to a microSD card (any combo of the four main ins, the four main outs, or the twelve other inputs). This is useful for simultaneously recording a dry signal with the wet outputs onto two separate files. I digressā¦ the point is that it has a simple patching interface built in, along with the ability to quickly recall custom unit chains and presets. When he releases the unit SDK, this will be a monster.
Finally, a few people mentioned the ES-8. I heartily endorse that. In my Euro Reakt presentation (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nL4TNaJm-3M), I was using an ES-3/ES-6 combo. This meant that I also had to fly with my MOTU audio interface and its power supply in addition to my lunchbox modular. With the ES-8, my last travel presentation was much easier to fly with.
Thank you! Great post.
Really, your Euro Reakt library and the presentation with Braids and Maths is what finally got me into Eurorack. A compromise, where the ES8 saves me at least one row of sequencing, utitilities or fx. Euro Reakt was such a great contribution to the progress of Eurorack in software feeling, as is VCV right now.
As you said the interface and documentation of Axoloti is not very attractive. Vcv Rack is great, itās amazing that itās for free. Nice that you port some of your blocks over to VCV. So far, itās still quite eating my CPU though my mac can handle Blocks very well. I think itās impressive how popular it already is. The facebook group is growing rapidly, and there are lotās of youtube videos, far more than videos of Blocks or Softube Modular.
I think the patching makes more fun in VCV compared to both Blocks or Softube. Itās the best Eurorack experience on a computer for me to date. I love to check out the Mutable modules I donāt own, e.g. Tides normal and in itās sheep version. Many people program modules now, itās quite overwhelming, I still try to digest Euro Reakt
Softube modular sounds impressive and I bought it as wellā¦ But itās quite boring in patching options compared to the other two mentioned. And I donāt like the idea that you have to pay for new modules. The new Buchla Osc is more expensive, than the program itself
VCV Rack also lights my Macbook Pro up. It runs stably, but all of my fans turn on and the battery drains rapidly. Hopefully the culprit will be patched soon. It runs much better on my Windows desktop.
Softube Modular is definitely an excellent sounding package, but VCV has given them some serious competition. The 4ms SMR emulation is perfect (I sold my hardware version because of it), but the moduleās source is on Github so I imagine that someone will port it to VCV soon (https://github.com/4ms/SMR).
Even outside of the realm of Blocks and modular emulation, I still think Reaktor is my favorite software package around. There are so many excellent effects and instruments included that itās hard to ever get bored with it. Regarding all of the rumors of a standalone Maschine, thereās part of me that looks at the recent upgrades for Reaktor Player as a sign that the Reaktor engine could be included (if a standalone Maschine is actually a real thing). Maybe Iām just daydreaming out loud
same here. Donāt enjoy the fan noise too much when patching But I can wait, thereās enough to discover in Blocks meanwhile.
didnāt buy it. Now Iām really interested in trying it.
me too
I think the fact, that Blocks have separated views for patching and using the blocks is blessing and curse together.
It really keeps it really clear and well organized, but itās not as immediate and easy to experiment as software with front panel patching. Though, I didnāt try the new front panel patching ensembles that were built recently